Split Second Change
by corneroffandom
Summary: When The Shield attacks, a truce is forged.


Despite the vast differences in their sizes, Kane can't get the upperhand against the three vicious bulldogs baring down upon him. Kicks, punches and all he really wants to do is set them all ablaze, but he can't even think about gaining his footing, much less accessing his powers so he does his level best to defend himself when the audience starts to respond loudly. He knows that that can only possibly mean one thing: his wayward tag partner, who hates him half the time, has found his way to the ring to try to fight off the three completely overwhelming him. He knows that this isn't going to end well, and God, he tries to get up and stop what's about to come, but he just can't.

How he ends up on the outside, he's not sure, but he does remember getting lifted up and slung through the announcer's table, hideous pain stabbing up his back and into his neck, down his legs. He lays there in the wreckage, even his body in too much pain to do anything following this. He's blinking slowly, unable to move to see around his mask, or do anything else, when he hears scrambling nearby and feels hands on his bicep, another on his neck. "Hey! We need help here!"

He grunts, knowing immediately. _Daniel..._

_"_Kane?" Daniel actually sounds concerned, almost... _worried_ for his tag partner. The Big Red Monster's eyes snap open and he tries to sit up but Daniel uses all of his weight to push him back down, half-frowning, half-glaring at him. "Nuh uh," he warns him. "Monster or no, you're not moving."

He frowns at this, trying to swat his tag partner away but everything hurts and he's only able to lift his arm a couple of inches off of the ground before it collapses at his side, leaving him cringing and snarling like a wounded animal. Which, in a way, he is. "The Shield," he grunts out, closing his eyes.

"Yeah." Daniel, content that he's not going to move now as the trainers and staff finally begin to pour out to the ring, drops down next to him and stares blankly ahead. "We need to decide what to do about them."

Kane tries shaking off the help of the medical staff but Daniel's bland gaze shuts him up, makes him lay and accept the help as they gingerly check his back out. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, clearly what we _are_ doing isn't very helpful," he grouses. "They still have the upperhand against us."

"And I repeat, what do you have in mind?" he grumbles, in pain and definitely not in the mood for his tag partner's run around while he's examined.

"A truce."

He laughs. "Why in the world would we want to do that?!'

"Because," Daniel says testily. "If we don't, we might not survive for much longer against them. Look at us, you can barely breathe without wincing and I'm not much better. We need to do _something._" He pauses and looks down at him. "You have to see that. It can't keep going on like this."

They fall back into thoughtful silence and, even though Kane hates it, he knows that Daniel is right. They can't continue on like this, it'll cause them to lose their tag titles... or worse. Once the trainers finish examining him and carefully let him sit up so he feels more on even footing with Daniel, he grouses out a low, "Fine."

"Yes?" Underneath his ridiculous beard, Daniel's face lights up and he stands, holding his hand out to his tag partner.

Kane sighs. "Yes." Reaching out, he takes ahold and is pleasantly surprised when Daniel, almost a hundred pounds lighter and a foot shorter than he, stubbornly pulls until he's back on his feet. Their hands still connected as Daniel seems to refuse to let go, he raises an eyebrow. "Now what?"

"Shake on it," he tells him simply. Kane immediately grimaces and rolls his eyes, slowly shaking the shorter man's hand as Daniel smirks up at him. Until _he_ tries to get free and _Kane_ then holds on, a dangerous glint in his mismatched eyes. "Hey! Let me go!"

"No, now we _hug_ _it out,_" the much taller man tells him, sneering anew. Daniel stares at him in disbelief before groaning. "Come on, don't make me tell Dr. Shelby on you."

"Fine!" Daniel snaps, almost angrily wrapping his arms around his tag partner. When Kane stiffens immediately, he realizes that he'd just been the victim of a harsh beatdown and slightly relaxes his hold, half-smiling when Kane gingerly wraps his own arms around him in response. By the time they pull away, however, they're both back to being stoic. "Alright?"

"Alright." Their partnership will never be perfect, but they can't help feeling- even if slightly reluctantly- like this is the beginning of good things.


End file.
